Manuel Pellegrini see it difficult to return to training a South American club when he finishes his stage in the Real Betis and in European football, although he does not rule out doing it with the Chilean national team, with which he feels indebted. ”It is already difficult for him to manage a club of South America. I have a contract for two more seasons with Betis, I will be close to 70 years old … I feel fully valid, because I demand as much of myself as when I was 40 or 45 years old, but to go back to work in South America, at the Argentina, it would be too hard. Yes, I still have the thorn of the Chilean team, and we will see if there is the possibility of being able to take charge one day, “said the coach in an interview with the Argentine newspaper The nation.
Pellegrini is not very fond of being a coach, since he prefers the day-to-day running of a club, but with Chile he would make an exception, if necessary: “I am entertained by being in the clubs, the competition every week. I have had offers from Chile and other teams, and the truth is that I have never been very enthusiastic. But I always feel a bit indebted to Chile, which is my country. I hope that, when I finish my campaign in Europe, I can give my experience and my knowledge to the development of soccer in Chile. For me there are two ages: the chronological, from the day one was born, and the biological, which is the one that marks how one moves from day to day. I feel the same nervousness, the same desire and the same vocation as when I started in this profession. The key is that one wants to stay current, which means an important effort, because one cannot allow oneself to be physically or intellectually. Technicians should not be judged from their date of birth. Yes, evaluate them from their capacity, their dedication and the personal demand that is noticed in them “, indicated the current Real Betis coach
Pellegrini expressed his regret for seeing the stadiums empty because of the pandemic all these last months: “There is no comparison between the appearance of the teams through the tunnel, and feeling how a stadium collapses, with this coldness in the stands that unfortunately we must accept it due to health problems. But hopefully it ends as soon as possible because it does a lot of damage to the activity. Soccer has taken on an immense social significance and TV makes it possible to alleviate it for a while, but nothing is comparable. Without that atmosphere around the show, passion and interest is lost a lot, “said the Chilean.